Uber Eats

Blobfish appoints former Coca-Cola executive to spearhead US expansion in $4b sampling market

Behavioural intelligence firm Flowing Bee appoints Jonny Hanratty as head of applied research

Melbourne behavioural-intelligence startup Flowing Bee hires Jonny Hanratty from The Lab to lead applied research and strategy amid rapid growth; named backers include Archangel Ventures, Antler and LaunchVic's Alice Anderson Fund.

Construction tech startup Veyor builds $10.6 million Series A

Sydney construction logistics software firm Veyor has banked US$7.5 million in Series A money, with Marbruck Investments leading and CoAct, Investible and SpringCapital taking part; CEO Richard Fifita is relocating stateside.

Also Startup Daily

Did nobody say Menulog? Pioneering Australia food delivery service shuts after 19 years

Menulog, the Sydney-founded food delivery pioneer, shuts down this month under owner Just Eat Takeaway, recently acquired by Prosus; the article recalls its 2015 merger and sale and a string of failed delivery rivals.

Also Startup Daily

StrongRoom sells for $3 million – and now the games begin

Healthtech firm StrongRoom AI sold to pharmacy operator Joe Zhou for $3 million via administrators, while backer EVP litigates to recoup $10.4 million after the startup's collapse following a March raise.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·AFR Technology

Liveheats nets $1.3 million for live sports scoring platform

Sports scoring software maker Liveheats has secured $1.3 million in seed backing from five individual backers to grow its product and sales teams and expand into the US and Europe.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

Woolies is getting into telehealth with a $6 million Series A

Woolworths, via its Healthylife arm, led telehealth firm Hola Health's $6m Series A at a $70m valuation, with M8 Ventures and FundWA backing; the Perth company raised $4.5m a year earlier.

Catch: A business timeline, in their words

Retrospective timeline of Catch's journey from its 2006 launch through Tiger Global's investment, the Menulog and Luxury Escapes deals and Wesfarmers' $230 million acquisition, to Wesfarmers' announced wind-down.

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Blue Stripes, Nukoko land rounds for alt chocolate, OroraTech snags deal for wildfire detection

Roundup of agrifoodtech news: alternative-chocolate funding for Blue Stripes and Nukoko, new capital for OroraTech and other climate startups, an Australian plant-based firm's liquidation and sale, executive moves, and a forest fund's first close.

Hola Health secures $4.5 million to slash wait times with on-demand telehealth

Perth telehealth firm Hola Health has banked $4.5 million in a pre-Series A round led by M8 Ventures with FundWA and angels; M8 partner Emily Rich takes a Hola Health board seat.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

M8 Ventures returns to lead $4.5m pre-Series A for medtech startup Hola Health

Hola Health, a Perth-based on-demand telehealth and pharmacy delivery provider, has banked $4.5 million at pre-Series A with M8 Ventures heading the round, FundWA and angels also in; Emily Rich joins the board.

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Paine Schwartz launches $1.7bn agrifood fund, Cricket One unveils new plant, Infarm ‘declared bankrupt’

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: Paine Schwartz closes its $1.7bn food-and-ag fund; several seed and Series A rounds; Tangelo acquires Diet ID; Infarm declared bankrupt; layoffs and partnerships across the sector.

‘Pay in advance’ fintech Paylab enters voluntary administration with trading future up in the air

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Aphea.Bio scores $78m for biologicals, Do Good Foods files Ch. 11, Chipotle’s avocado robots

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup reporting numerous funding rounds including Aphea.Bio, Bobbie and Sensand, a Coca-Cola-backed venture fund close, Do Good Foods' bankruptcy filing, and The Andersons acquiring Bridge Agri Partners.

Also AgFunderNews

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Neat Burger raises $18m, Debut bags $34m to expand cell-free biomanufacturing platform

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup covering several raises including Neat Burger, Debut and Earthodic, Woolworths buying delivery startup Milkrun, and shutdowns at Anuvia Plant Nutrients and Made By Cow.

Employment Hero creates ‘super app’ with AI recruitment tools and auto-generated job descriptions for SMEs

HR and payroll platform Employment Hero has launched Swag, an app adding an AI-powered jobs board, auto-generated job descriptions and employee benefits to its existing small-business tools.

‘Game-changer’: Aussie HR unicorn takes on Seek with latest AI play

Employment Hero has launched Swag, an AI-powered hiring superapp for small businesses offering job drafting, candidate matching and employee benefits, putting it in competition with its own backer SEEK.

Subscription e-bike startup Zoomo cuts jobs again after raising $24 million

E-bike subscription startup Zoomo cut 27 roles in its second restructuring in six months, weeks after client Milkrun's collapse, and disclosed a previously unreported $24 million raise led by Grok Ventures and the CEFC.

Also Techboard

“It f*cking rocks and this sucks”: Gourmet ready-meal service CoLab calls in the administrators

Ready-meal platform CoLab has entered voluntary administration after a financing round collapsed, with EY partners appointed; the piece also recalls failures across Australian food delivery, including Deliveroo Australia, Voly, Send and Quicko.

Also AgFunderNews·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

How this founder built a 40-person startup while 6,000km away from her team: A chat with Clare from bluesheets

Investible interviews bluesheets co-founder Clare Leighton about building the financial-automation company remotely from her co-founder, her earlier roles at Uber and DishDash, and its growth and partnerships.

Marketing tech startup Livewire bags $4.7 million Series A

Sydney gaming marketing company Livewire has raised a $4.7 million Series A led by Matt Berriman's new fund RealVC, with several individual and strategic backers, to scale headcount and expand globally.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

Our Seed Investment In Blinq

Blackbird reflects on its seed backing of Blinq, a Melbourne startup making digital business cards, explaining the viral SaaS product and founder Jarrod Webb's background.

Does Milkrun have what it takes to outrun Woolworths’ one-hour delivery?

Opinion analysis arguing Woolworths' Metro60 one-hour grocery service threatens venture-backed rapid delivery startups, citing SEND's shutdown, VOLY's staff cuts and Milkrun's funding reliance as evidence the 15-minute model is unsustainable in Australia.

Also Startup Daily

Snackr gobbles up $915K seed

Live-event food delivery app Snackr has raised a $915,000 seed round led by BetterLabs with Woodside Energy, Eastcourt Capital and Spacecubed Ventures, to grow across more Australian and UK venues.

Also Startup Daily·Startup News (WA)·Startup News (WA)

Investment Notes: Blinq $5m Seed

Square Peg explains why it invested in Blinq's five million dollar seed round alongside Blackbird, describing the digital contact-sharing product and founder Jarrod Webb's background.

Also TechCrunch Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

After the collapse of SEND and Quicko, can rapid grocery delivery businesses survive in Australia?

Analysis of why rapid grocery delivery startups SEND and Quicko have shut down, with a retail academic explaining the tough economics facing remaining players Milkrun and Voly against major retailers and meal apps.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

e-bike startup Zoomo tops up Series B with another $28 million

Delivery e-bike firm Zoomo has added US$20 million to its Series B, led by Collaborative Fund, three months after an $80 million round backed by the Atlassian founders' vehicles, lifting total funding beyond $100 million.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily

Online grocery trend heats up, as Woolies partners with Uber Eats and startup Send raises $3 million

Sydney quick-delivery grocery startup Send has raised $3.1 million from Cherry Ventures and FJ Lab, while Woolworths teams with Uber Eats on hourly grocery delivery amid pandemic-driven growth in online grocery shopping.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: Netflix comparisons, ScoMo's digital epiphany, Bitcoin's face-off

Weekly technology roundup covering Australia's digital economy budget, multiple startup raises including SafetyCulture's unicorn round, Data Republic's administration, TikTok's new permanent CEO, and Bill.com's purchase of Divvy.

Also Startup Daily

Electric bike maker Zoomo announces second round of funding

Australian e-bike firm Zoomo has announced a $16 million round led by AirTree, with the publisher investing a further $2.2 million, and has appointed four US industry figures to its advisory board.

Also Virescent Ventures·RenewEconomy·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily

‘A catalyst, not a blip’: Mr Yum secures $11 million in funding to serve up post-pandemic hospitality tech overseas

Melbourne QR-ordering startup Mr Yum has raised eleven million dollars in a round led by TEN13 with AirTree participating, funding international expansion into the US and UK after pandemic-driven growth.

Also SmartCompany·Lawyers Weekly·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Tech Funding News - Australia·Australian FinTech·TechCrunch Venture

Buy now pay later outfit Butn gets set to list with food delivery deal

Business BNPL provider Butn has banked $12.5 million ahead of a planned ASX float and struck a deal letting Easi's delivery riders and merchants tap same-day early payments.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Australian FinTech

Here are the 4 startups in CBA’s Xccelerate program pitching for $150,000

Four startups in Commonwealth Bank's x15ventures Xccelerate program pitch for a $150,000 investment, with the winner to be announced; givvable won the inaugural program in July.

Ignition Lane's Weekly Wrap: MyDeal and Adore hit the ASX, the Future Fund takes a hit on Quibi

Ignition Lane's weekly roundup reports MyDeal and Adore Beauty listing on the ASX, Rokt's US$80 million Series D, several trans-Tasman raises, Quibi shutting down, Westpac trimming its Zip stake, and local executive appointments.

Also Crunchbase News·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·ARN (ARNnet)

5 things you should know about tech today

Daily roundup covering an insider-trading case involving ASX-listed Innate Immunotherapeutics, Klarna's first Australian retail deal, health-tech raises by Adherium and Prospection, and the administration of Calombaris's restaurant group.

Also Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·prospection.com

UberEats in reverse: Dining-out platform me&u bags $8 million from laundry list of high-profile investors

Dining-tech firm me&u has closed an $8 million series B to fund a countrywide rollout, with Merivale's Justin Hemmes and Tyro's Robbie Cooke among new backers; founder Stevan Premutico earlier sold Dimmi to TripAdvisor.

Also SmartCompany·SmartCompany

“Unicorn-sized” opportunity: ‘Tinder for food’ pitch wins Newcastle entrepreneur spot in $100,000 Silicon Valley accelerator

A Newcastle founder's menu-swiping app Eatsee won a Sydney pitch contest, landing $100,000 from Jason Calcanis and a LAUNCH Accelerator spot, and now prepares to pitch US investors for a $2 million seed round.

How Hey You is expanding beyond coffee

Order-ahead app Hey You, born from the Beat the Q and Posse merger and backed by Reinventure, has brought in Uzair Moosa as chief executive as it plans growth into food and new cities.

Perth's Unocart is changing grocery delivery in more ways than you think

Particle profiles Perth grocery-delivery startup Unocart, covering its founders' social mission against food insecurity, two earlier pivots, and its 2017 stint in the muru-D accelerator.